I'm an organized person; I organize for a living. This means every night before bed, I am compelled to put everything back in its place. TV remotes, stray pens and pencils, junk mail in the garbage, and important mail in a neat pile (or divided piles with post-it reminders on top), kids' toys away, stray dessert dishes in the dishwasher, counters cleared, sprayed with cleaner, and coffee prepped. These are the most important areas for me because I need to wake up to a house that has been reset so I can begin my day with a clean slate.
But, let me take a moment and consider my messy friends. Those who just don't see the chaos as I do and sleep soundly, blissfully unaware of the dessert dish that's been left on a coffee table piled with toys, littered with fidgets and catalogues and hair brushes and, well, you get it. As a champion of the messy, my advice below is aimed at you.
Each night, before bed, set a timer for 5 minutes and reset the spaces that feel most important to you. This matters because what's important to me might be very different for you! That said, I recommend focusing on the kitchen since that is the first place the family tends to populate in the morning.
Dishes at least in the sink, rinsed.
Mail in a pile, and junk mail in the garbage.
Snacks and other miscellaneous foods put away or at least clipped closed.
Counters wiped down.
Pens, pencils, school supplies, and craft supplies (mostly) back in their homes.
You'll be shocked at how little time these tasks actually take.
Bonus! Spend 2-3 extra minutes in your bedroom putting away one small pile of clothes. Double extra bonus if you pull one piece of clothing out of your closet for the give-away bag.
Consider this: if you were to do this every day for a week, that's 35 minutes resetting your kitchen and 14-21 minutes resetting your bedroom! That's how many fewer minutes you will need to spend over the weekend catching up!
What spaces, in your opinion, feel most important to reset before bed? I've love to see your comments.
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